Albright: Globalization Partly to Blame for World's Crises

The world "clearly was dangerous" when the West could focus on the Soviet Union as the main enemy, says former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, but with multiple points of conflict now, the danger is harder to focus on.

Part of the problem, she said Sunday on "Face the Nation," is due to globalization, "which has an opposite side that has created a lot of nationalism in those countries or places where people feel lost."

Another problem is one of perception, she said. Technology has given the world connectivity, "but also not an understanding of all the various pieces of the news that come in to us."

In the diplomatic world there is something going on all the time, she said, and it is the job of diplomats to manage it. But there have been "two huge game changers."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's behavior on Crimea and eastern Ukraine -- and the conflict in the Middle East. Part of the latter problem is due to "the Arab awakening" and part is due to "the artificiality of the borders that were established after World War I," she said.

Putin, she said, is living in his own world.

"He has made up an awful lot of lies in terms of who is responsible for the fact that the Soviet Union disintegrated," she said. Putin wants to establish himself as the identification of Russian nationalism and establish "something akin to the Soviet Union," she said.

She said the Europeans have to "step up" and join America in sanctions against Russia. She said she's "appalled" at their slowness in understanding what is going on.

Albright, who served under President Bill Clinton, said she admires Secretary of State John Kerry's work in the Israeli-Hamas conflict, and continues to believe the two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians is the only solution.

While she believes Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas attacks, she fears its image is being damaged because of its ability to overwhelm Hamas on the battlefield.

The world "clearly was dangerous" when the West could focus on the Soviet Union as the main enemy, says former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, but with multiple points of conflict now, the danger is harder to focus on.
Part of the problem, she said Sunday on "Face...